An algorithm is a specific set of instructions for carrying out a procedure or solving a problem, usually with the requirement that the procedure terminate at some point. Specific algorithms sometimes also go by the name method, procedure, or technique. The word "algorithm" is a distortion of al-Khwārizmī, a Persian mathematician who wrote an influential treatise about algebraic methods. The process of applying an algorithm to an input to obtain an output is called a computation.
Algorithm
See also
Competitive Ratio, Computation, Online Algorithm, Randomized Algorithm Explore this topic in the MathWorld classroomExplore with Wolfram|Alpha
References
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AlgorithmCite this as:
Weisstein, Eric W. "Algorithm." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Algorithm.html